Add as a preferred source on Google CM Punk has once again become a backstage topic in pro wrestling, even though he has not appeared on WWE programming since the Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania 42.
On a recent edition of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt Hardy discussed Punk’s previous AEW run and said the “Best in the World” quickly realized he could exert influence over Tony Khan.
“When Punk was in AEW, I feel like he knew he had a certain level of control over Tony Khan, to the point where he could get away with what he wanted. If there was something he really wanted to do, he could flex his muscles and come out on top. I think he noticed that with Tony, because Tony hadn’t been running a wrestling company for decades.”
Hardy also compared that situation to Punk’s return to WWE, which happened in November 2023 at Survivor Series, less than three months after his AEW firing.
“When he came back to WWE, I think he knew he couldn’t act with that same attitude or mindset. A lot of people thought he would create some kind of controversy or conflict, and that didn’t happen. He was a by-the-book guy and seemed like a model employee.”
Punk was fired by AEW on September 2, 2023, following an internal investigation into the backstage incident at All In in London involving Jack Perry. Before that, he had also been away from the company after the All Out 2022 altercation involving Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.
In WWE, however, the situation has been different. Despite recent rumors about his absence from television, several sources have indicated that there are no major issues between Punk and the company, with his return to programming expected during the summer.
It remains to be seen what WWE’s next creative move will be for Punk, who lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42 and was then teased for a possible confrontation with Cody Rhodes on RAW.